Baby food and travel safety in Hong Kong

N

Nathanmom

New member
Hello:

My husband and I will be travelling from Canada to HK for a one-month vacation in October with a 9-month old baby. I am looking for information on the following:

1. Are Heinz baby food (in jars) and Similac Advance Step 1 formula available for sale in HK? Where can I find them?

2. Will my baby be safe to travel in taxi and local transportation without a car seat?

3. We did not purchase a ticket for our baby on Air Canada. We can only book the bulkhead seats the day of the travel. Therefore, there is no guarantee that we will get a bassinet. Any tips if we don't get a bassinet.

Any other information for travelling to HK will be most appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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Hi

You could get Heinz jar food from almost any supermarket example: ParkN Shop,Jusco,Wellcome,Citysuper etc. Same goes to the milk powder. Even personal store like Watson carry both milk & Heinz.

As for taxi u could hardly get any with carseat..but u could try to bring one yourself. Frankly speaking taxi driver don't bother to fix for you. As for public transportation, you can bring along a stroller and fold it when you got up a bus etc.

Try to check in earlier if you want a bassinet point. Usually there will be 5-6 bassinet point for a flight depending on the type of aircraft. If u couldn't get one, ask for middle roll D,E,F,G or any 3 or 2 seats with vacancy next to each other. Usually the ground staff will arrange it for you if u tell them your condition provided it's not a full flight.

Hope u have a pleasant flight and enjoy your stay in Hong Kong.
 
Yes, baby foods and formula are available at most Park 'n' Shop and Wellcome supermarkets as well as drugstore/pharmacies Mannings or Watson's. But one thing to note is that sometimes the formula will not be with the other baby products - hidden behind the counter somewhere.

There's not much you can do if you don't get a bulkhead seat - but do try to get a seat where the armrests can fold up, so when it's time to sleep he can sleep lying down on the seat with his head on one of your laps, or alternatively on 2 laps simultaneously.

In general, the key is not to try to get a 9-month-old to sleep on a plane until he's really quite tired - wear him out crawling up and down the aisles if necessary.

If one of you has short legs, you can make a little nest for him down on the floor just in front of your seat - even in economy; babies aren't very big - and if you need to make it dark, then put down your tray and use blankets to create a sort of fort.

You'll be better off not using taxis at all in HK if you can manage it. Public transit goes everywhere and is much more interesting. Access for wheeled vehicles on the MTR (subway) is getting more common as they convert more of the stops, and even with a stroller it's not bad. Minibus and bus drivers are quite patient about letting you get on the bus while folding a stroller.
 
Only thing I can add is to bring a baby-bjorn / frontpack if you have one, its great for getting around on public transport and to wear in a taxi (and you don't need the bulk of a stroller). If you don't have one, get one at the markets when you first arrive, you can pick them up for under HK$50.
J
 
Hi

No offence to Jenny's post but please do not let your baby crawl in the aircraft....it's dangerous if air turbulence occur. Note, not all air turbulence has signal in advance. Also with carts moving around it's really not advisable to do that...even after meal service. Stewardess still walk around in cabin especially during lull period in a long flight so they might accidentally step on them.

Please do not let your child sleep on the aircraft floor. It's really DANGEROUS. As i worked with the airlines for 6 years..i've seen alot incident, some is really scary. Please do not compromise safety. U never know what will happen during the flight especially the weather condition. It's better to be safe than sorry is my advice. Well no offence but it's just my proffesional point of view.

Have a safe trip.
 
Sometimes it is necessary to travel by taxi. I used a Baby B-air flight vest in taxis. It isn't recommended or approved for car travel, but seemed to be strong enough and I thought it was better than nothing !

http://store.babycenter.com/product...&url=/baby/babytravel/index&xTopic=babytravel

It links through your seat belt, so you just sit bub on your lap and should stop them flying through the front window in an accident. Not perfect, but at least it's something.
 
nathanmom, there is milk powder in hong kong but i don't think they have similac. you may want to stock up before you come depending on the length of stay you can bring the pre-mixed. best is to carry the pre-packaged similac powder which you mix with water. i guess your baby is young (similac 1). hong kong is not a stroller friendly place. you are best to bring a baby bjorn or the like move around with the baby and a super light stroller if possible. have fun in hong kong. bellybuttons
 
Nicmum has a point not letting your baby sleep on the floor. Just 3 weeks ago we flew to Singapore with our 9 month old and we put him in the basinet on the floor and we all fell asleep. Suddenly the plane took a nose dive and I immediately picked him up, as i was picking him up the plane dropped again and I almost lost grip of my baby, as the aircraft suddenly descended and i was picking him up my hands went flying up. Luckily i didn't loose my grip and held him tight and my son didn't wake up but it sure was a SCARY experience.

On our flight back he slept on two empty seats with his head on my lap and I tied the seat belt around his waist.
 
For the Similac formula, do u talk about the Similac Advance? HK has different version than the one is US as HK has Similac 1, 2, and 3. If your baby is taking Similac Advance (US version) for newborn to 1 year old, you need to take that with you. Or I can sell some for you. My baby is born in US and I brought some Similac with me when I come back to HK used as a supplement as I breaastfeed my baby. She doesn't like the formula so I get some at home.
Details are as below

Similac advance 2 plastic bottles - ready to use
more than 10 packs formula - travel size ( one pack for 4oz milk)

If interested, pls let me know.
 
i just returned from canada last monday. my boy is 6 months old (only 16 lbs or so) i gound that the bassinets on the flights to be very small. he was very uncomfortable in them. i had to rock him to sleep on my lap then pray that he didn't wake as i transferred him into the bassinet. the most he slept was 3 hours.

you're lucky that there are two of you. i was by myself. when you check in, be sure to ask for a baby meal(ie. jars of baby food & diapers). i did, however, each leg of my journey i was provided with different stuff...

hkg-tpe i got 2 diapers, wet wipes, a jar of juice, and two small jars of baby food
tpe-yvr i got 2 diapers, wet wipes, 2 jars of juice, and four jars of food
yvr-tpe i got 5 diapers, 1 jar of juice and one jar of food
tpe-hkg i got 2 diapers, 2 jars of juice and two jars of food...

i couldn't figure it out! but at least i got something for him....

i too got a baby b-air, but found that i didn't use it. my boy likes to face me and the baby b-air only allowed him to face away from me or sit on my lap....

i wish you luck in your journey!
 
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